USS Boxer LHD-4 Amphibious Assault Ship Embroidered Patch

Honor. Courage. Strength.

Those three words are embroidered on the ribbon at the base of the USS Boxer's crest — and they aren't just a motto. For every sailor and Marine who walked her decks, stood her watches, and deployed aboard her into harm's way, those words are a lived experience. They are the vocabulary of service in one of the most capable and consistently deployed amphibious assault ships in the history of the United States Navy.

USS Boxer (LHD-4) was commissioned on February 11, 1995, the fourth ship of the Wasp class and the sixth U.S. Navy vessel to bear the Boxer name — a lineage reaching back to a British prize captured in the War of 1812. Built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, she immediately proved herself a working ship. Even her commissioning transit wasn't without drama — navigating the Panama Canal, her bridge wing was sheared off in the passage. She was repaired, reported to her homeport in San Diego, and never looked back.

Over the next three decades, Boxer became a fixture of American naval power projection. Her maiden deployment in 1997 took her to the Western Pacific. By 2003, she was steaming into the Persian Gulf at the head of a seven-ship task force in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, her flight deck loaded with aircraft and her well deck carrying the amphibious punch of the Marine Corps. In January 2004, she surged alone from San Diego to deliver equipment and supplies in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II — a solo mission that spoke to the trust the Navy placed in her crew. In 2006, she deployed with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, arriving in Iraq by November of that year.

The operational tempo never slowed. Boxer deployed repeatedly with the 13th MEU through the 2010s, conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation, and crisis response across the 5th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility. Then came June 2016 — a milestone that would define her legacy. During Operation Inherent Resolve, Boxer's embarked AV-8B Harriers launched strike sorties against ISIS targets from the Arabian Gulf while aircraft from USS Harry S. Truman struck from the Mediterranean. It was the first time in history that the U.S. Navy conducted simultaneous naval aviation strikes against a single target from two separate maritime theaters. Boxer was at the center of it.

Three years later, in July 2019, operating in the Strait of Hormuz with the 11th MEU, Boxer made headlines once more when her crew used shipboard Marine counter-UAS capability to down an approaching Iranian unmanned aircraft — a demonstration of the ship's adaptability in an evolving threat environment. The Boxer was not just keeping up with the modern battlefield. She was helping to shape it.

Patch Design & Symbolism

The patch itself is as rich in meaning as the ship's history. Set against a deep navy blue oval border with gold merrowed edging, the design centers on an elegant white field bearing the official USS Boxer crest. At the top, a gold-bordered heraldic star — rendered in vibrant red, gold, and blue — sits framed by a green laurel wreath, symbolizing both excellence and the honor of naval tradition. Crossed behind the central shield are two symbolic weapons: a cavalry saber with a red and gold hilt on the left, and a Roman-style gladius on the right — together representing the combined arms spirit of amphibious warfare, where Navy and Marine Corps fight as one.

The central shield displays a bold American eagle with wings spread wide, rendered in rich brown and white against a field of red and white stripes — unmistakably American, unmistakably proud. Below the shield, a flowing blue banner carries the ship's motto in gold lettering: Honor · Courage · Strength. Above the main crest, the ship's name — USS BOXER — arcs in bold gold letters, with LHD 4 anchoring the base. The result is a crest that commands attention and rewards close inspection, capturing the full dignity of a ship that has earned every element of its insignia.

This patch is officially licensed by the United States Navy and measures 4 inches with embroidered construction, a clean merrowed border, and iron-on backing — ready for your shadow box, your vest, your jacket, or your collection. It is the kind of piece that means something. That tells a story. That reminds you — and anyone who sees it — of the ship you served aboard, the shipmates you stood watch with, and the missions that only a select few will ever fully understand.

If USS Boxer is part of your story, carry her with you. Honor the service that defined you.